The NHS 111 service was thrown into fresh doubt yesterday when a key provider
pulled out of two areas and admitted others were “unsustainable”.

NHS Direct, which manages 11 of 46 local contracts, has abandoned plans to
launch the urgent care service in Cornwall and North Essex because of
problems elsewhere.

So few people are calling 111 in some areas that NHS Direct, which is paid by
volume, says it cannot afford to continue them. Nick Chapman, NHS Direct’s
chief executive, has apologised to the two regions and said: “Since the
launch of NHS Direct’s other NHS 111 services, the